About Us

We are a Seattle based biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of novel therapies that address unique unmet medical needs for patients suffering from blood-related cancers. Pacritinib, our lead product candidate is in development for the treatment of myelofibrosis which has the potential to fulfill a significant treatment gap in the management of these patients due to it’s unique clinical profile.

Jennifer Smith

Jim Fong

John Volpone

Board of Directors

Adam R. Craig, M.D., Ph.D., MBA

President and Chief Executive Officer

Adam R. Craig, M.D., Ph.D., has served as one of our directors and as our President and Chief Executive Officer since March 2017. Dr. Craig worked as an independent consultant providing strategic and operational advice and support to CTI BioPharma and other hematology/oncology biotechnology companies since 2016. Prior to consulting, Dr. Craig was Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President of Development of Sunesis Pharmaceuticals from 2012 to 2016. From 2008 to 2012, Dr Craig was Chief Medical Officer and Senior Vice President of Chemgenex Pharmaceuticals Ltd, a biotechnology company which was acquired by Cephalon/Teva Pharmaceuticals in 2011. Dr. Craig is a Member of the Royal College of Physicians (U.K.) and undertook Post-Graduate Training in Pediatrics and Pediatric Oncology. Dr. Craig earned his Bachelor’s and Medical degrees from Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School, University of London, and holds a Ph.D. in Molecular Oncology from Leeds University in the U.K. and an MBA from the Open Business School, in the U.K. Dr. Craig has served as a Product Development Reviewer for the Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas.

Dr. Craig’s experience as an executive in the pharmaceutical industry, knowledge of biopharmaceuticals, and leadership role within our organization were the primary qualifications that have led the board of directors to conclude that he should serve on our board of directors.

Laurent Fischer, M.D.

Chairman

Dr. Fischer has been one of our directors since July 2017 and was appointed chairman in September 2017. Dr. Fischer was appointed senior vice president, head of the Liver Therapeutic Area at Allergan following the acquisition of Tobira Therapeutics. Dr. Fischer has served as a senior advisor on the Frazier Healthcare Partners’ Life Sciences team since March 2017. He was previously CEO of Tobira Therapeutics, and chairman and CEO of Jennerex, Inc., a company with a first-in-class oncolytic immunotherapy for liver cancer acquired for $150 million by Sillajen. He was co-founder, president and CEO of Ocera Therapeutics and held senior positions at DuPont-Merck, DuPont Pharmaceuticals, and Hoffmann-La Roche in liver disease, virology and oncology. Dr. Fischer received his undergraduate degree from the University of Geneva and his medical degree from the Geneva Medical School, Switzerland.

Michael A. Metzger

Mr. Metzger joined CTI BioPharma’s board in January 2017. Mr. Metzger is currently president, chief operating officer, and member of the board of directors of Syndax Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company. Mr. Metzger also serves on the boards of Tarveda Therapeutics, Inc. and Northern Westchester Hospital, Northwell Health. Mr. Metzger served as president and chief executive officer of Regado Biosciences, Inc., a former publicly traded biotechnology company, from 2013 to 2015, where he oversaw the company’s successful merger with Tobira Therapeutics, Inc. in 2015 and acted as an advisor to Tobira during its subsequent sale to Allergan in 2016. Previously, Mr. Metzger served as executive vice president and chief operating officer at Mersana Therapeutics, a privately held biotechnology company developing novel immunoconjugate therapies for cancer, from 2011 to 2013 and in senior business development positions including leading mergers and acquisitions at Forest Laboratories, Inc. from 2006 to 2011. Mr. Metzger served as vice president corporate development at Onconova Therapeutics, Inc., from 2001 until 2006, and was a managing director at MESA Partners, Inc., a venture capital firm, from 1997 to 2001. Mr. Metzger holds a B.A. from George Washington University and an M.B.A. in Finance from the New York University Stern School of Business.

David Parkinson, M.D.

Dr. Parkinson has been one of our directors since June 2017. Dr. Parkinson has served as president and chief executive officer Essa Pharmaceuticals, Inc. since 2016. Prior to joining ESSA he had been a venture partner at New Enterprise Associates, Inc. From 2007 until 2012, Dr. Parkinson served as president and CEO of Nodality, Inc., a biotechnology company focused on the biological characterization of signaling pathways in patients with malignancy. Until October 2007 he was senior vice president, oncology research and development at Biogen Idec, where he oversaw all oncology discovery research efforts and the development of the oncology pipeline. Previously he had served as VP, oncology development at Amgen and VP, global clinical oncology development at Novartis. Dr. Parkinson worked at the National Cancer Institute from 1990 to 1997, serving as chief of the Investigational Drug Branch and then as acting associate director of the Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program (CTEP). He is a past chairman of the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) Biologics Advisory Committee, a past member of the FDA Science Board, and is a recipient of the FDA’s Cody Medal.

Matthew D. Perry

Mr. Perry has been a director since January 2016. Mr. Perry is the President of BVF Partners L.P. (“BVF Partners”) and portfolio manager for the underlying funds managed by the firm. BVF Partners is a private investment partnership that has focused on small-cap, value-oriented investment opportunities for more than 20 years. Mr. Perry joined BVF Partners in December 1996 and has been a successful lead investor in dozens of transactions and has positively influenced corporate direction for numerous biotechnology companies during the course of his career. In February 2017, Mr. Perry was appointed to the board of directors of Xoma Corporation, a public company. Mr. Perry is also a co-founder and director of Nordic Biotech Advisors ApS, a venture capital firm based in Copenhagen, Denmark. He holds a B.S. degree from the Biology Department at the College of William and Mary. Mr. Perry brings extensive management consulting experience and experience investing in biotechnology companies to the Board.

Reed V. Tuckson, M.D., F.A.C.P.

Dr. Tuckson joined CTI’s Board in September 2011. Dr. Tuckson serves as the managing director of Tuckson Health Connections, a private consulting company. Previously, his career accomplishments include a long tenure as executive vice president and chief of medical affairs for UnitedHealth Group; senior vice president, professional standards, for the American Medical Association; president of the Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in Los Angeles; senior vice president for Programs of the March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation; and commissioner of Public Health for the District of Columbia. At the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Tuckson serves on the Clinical Center Research Hospital Board and he is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine. He currently serves on the board of directors of LifePoint Health; Inform Genomics; the Alliance for Health Policy; AcademyHealth, and the People-Centered Research Foundation; among others. He is a graduate of Howard University, Georgetown University School of Medicine, and the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania’s General Internal Medicine Residency and Fellowship Programs.

A Commitment to Ethics

CTI BioPharma is committed to conducting business ethically and with integrity. We demonstrate that through our compliance with healthcare laws and the rules governing our business. This creates a network of trust with patients, healthcare professionals and other companies and institutions with whom we work.